(economic backdrop)The Atlantic Slave trade had an enormous impact on West Africa. Benin is a coastal West African Country that was a "hotspot" for african slave exportation. Benin became very wealthy due to the large sums of money the europeans were willing to pay for slaves. Those who benefitted from this wealth were Africans who built themselves a kingdom upon the idea of enslaving fellow africans. These kingdoms are commonly referred to as "Slave Empires". Africans could be forced into slavery in many ways. Often if they were in debt or committed a crime they would be forced into slavery. Other cases are Africans that need the money so they sell themselves, children, or friends into slavery. Slave Empires lined the coast of West Africa and created their own systems of laws which, if broken, almost always resulted in enslavement.
(social backdrop/a little bit of political) Gender played a large role in slave trade. This is mainly due to reproduction. The Africans sent mostly male slaves toward the Americas and the Caribbean because they felt that they should keep the female slaves to do work around the house. Women also played very important roles in African society. Every king selected one woman to be the kpojito (queen mother). The kpojito's job was to speak to the supernatural. She was so highly regarded that she was often viewed as having an equal amount of power to the king. The desire to make a profit off of the slave trade became so great that africans began kidnapping their neighbors and fellow citizens. Ewuare the Great (also referred to as "a great warrior and magician") was an Oba (king) that ruled during the fifteenth century. He is well known for establishing a system of heredity which stated that the king's successor would be that of a son or nephew.
(religion) The citizens of Benin believed in a polytheistic religion which was made up of many deities. Each deity had a specific idea, object, or element that they were responsible for creating and controlling.
(art) In Benin brass heads were sculpted and created in honor of each Oba (king).
Brass sculpture of the head of an Obacrafted in Benin during the sixteenth century
Brass sculpture of the head of an ObaCrafted in Benin during the eighteenth century
Map during the time period.
Economic Backdrop
This section should contain a paragraph that summarizes the economics of the region. Information should be drawn from the textbook, but should represent your interpretation of the material. Included should be key commodities, trading partners and industries. This should be a summary of what you have already learned.
Political Backdrop
This section should contain a paragraph that summarizes the politic of the region. Information should be drawn from the textbook, but should represent your interpretation of the material. Included should be the name of the dynasty, a mention of significant (successful) leaders, and a discussion of key political policies or administrative structures. This should be a summary of what you have already learned.
Timeline
Timetoast allows you to create a timeline and then embed it.You have to set up an account. For your timeline you might want to select three or four key political or economic dates and three or four major dates that illustrate cultural, religious or architectural trends. The objective is to give the reader a quick visual snap-shot of the reading.
Aspects of Culture
Social Backdrop
This section should contain information on social hierarchies, gender roles, urban life, rural life, population statistics, conceptions of childhood, citizenship, etc. Information might be drawn from the textbook, but should represent your interpretation of the material (not a copy). Information can also be drawn from your research. You will need to select the aspects you think are most important and omit the ones you think are less relevant. In the past, folks have made charts. (You can make the diagram in Google Drive and embed it if you would like to.)
Education
This section will describe the educational system. Who is educated? What do they study? Is there a universal exam system?
Artistic Innovation
Identify artistic motifs, techniques and themes popular in your region. Examples and explanations should explain what makes the art of your region unique.
There should be at least three examples presented each with a short explanation (by you.)
For this section you must have a minimum of six examples of art. They should be drawn from ARTSTOR Tabor has an Artstor account. You should establish your own personal account while you are on-campus. This will allow you to save your searches and create powerpoints.
Be sure to caption your pictures with the title, artist and location of the object.
Classic literary texts
This section will provide selections of the classic literature. The selections should be chosen to ensure that they highlight ideas and themes.
You can embed a selection from google books using the widget. If you can find an original manuscript example... all the better.
Religion (have a couple sentences. What else should i say?)
This section will describe the religion. Pay attention to the art and architecture sections. If you plan to use a religious structure as an example, be sure to describe the religious tradition for which the building was built. It is also possible to use an analysis of the building to teach about theology. You may wish to add a bit more art here to illustrate your points.
Architecture
This section should provide examples of monumental architecture of the region. You can also look for examples of urban culture. There should be at least three pictures or diagram included in this section. Each should be explained (by you.)
Observations about what we have learned.
This section should provide a paragraph length personal reflection about what you have learned about the culture and or the art of internet-based research.
(social backdrop/a little bit of political) Gender played a large role in slave trade. This is mainly due to reproduction. The Africans sent mostly male slaves toward the Americas and the Caribbean because they felt that they should keep the female slaves to do work around the house. Women also played very important roles in African society. Every king selected one woman to be the kpojito (queen mother). The kpojito's job was to speak to the supernatural. She was so highly regarded that she was often viewed as having an equal amount of power to the king. The desire to make a profit off of the slave trade became so great that africans began kidnapping their neighbors and fellow citizens. Ewuare the Great (also referred to as "a great warrior and magician") was an Oba (king) that ruled during the fifteenth century. He is well known for establishing a system of heredity which stated that the king's successor would be that of a son or nephew.
(religion) The citizens of Benin believed in a polytheistic religion which was made up of many deities. Each deity had a specific idea, object, or element that they were responsible for creating and controlling.
(art) In Benin brass heads were sculpted and created in honor of each Oba (king).
Map during the time period.
Economic Backdrop
This section should contain a paragraph that summarizes the economics of the region. Information should be drawn from the textbook, but should represent your interpretation of the material. Included should be key commodities, trading partners and industries. This should be a summary of what you have already learned.Political Backdrop
This section should contain a paragraph that summarizes the politic of the region. Information should be drawn from the textbook, but should represent your interpretation of the material. Included should be the name of the dynasty, a mention of significant (successful) leaders, and a discussion of key political policies or administrative structures. This should be a summary of what you have already learned.Timeline
Timetoast allows you to create a timeline and then embed it. You have to set up an account. For your timeline you might want to select three or four key political or economic dates and three or four major dates that illustrate cultural, religious or architectural trends. The objective is to give the reader a quick visual snap-shot of the reading.Aspects of Culture
Social Backdrop
This section should contain information on social hierarchies, gender roles, urban life, rural life, population statistics, conceptions of childhood, citizenship, etc. Information might be drawn from the textbook, but should represent your interpretation of the material (not a copy). Information can also be drawn from your research. You will need to select the aspects you think are most important and omit the ones you think are less relevant. In the past, folks have made charts. (You can make the diagram in Google Drive and embed it if you would like to.)Education
This section will describe the educational system. Who is educated? What do they study? Is there a universal exam system?Artistic Innovation
Identify artistic motifs, techniques and themes popular in your region. Examples and explanations should explain what makes the art of your region unique.There should be at least three examples presented each with a short explanation (by you.)
For this section you must have a minimum of six examples of art. They should be drawn from ARTSTOR
Tabor has an Artstor account. You should establish your own personal account while you are on-campus. This will allow you to save your searches and create powerpoints.
Be sure to caption your pictures with the title, artist and location of the object.
Classic literary texts
This section will provide selections of the classic literature. The selections should be chosen to ensure that they highlight ideas and themes.You can embed a selection from google books using the widget. If you can find an original manuscript example... all the better.
Religion (have a couple sentences. What else should i say?)
This section will describe the religion. Pay attention to the art and architecture sections. If you plan to use a religious structure as an example, be sure to describe the religious tradition for which the building was built. It is also possible to use an analysis of the building to teach about theology. You may wish to add a bit more art here to illustrate your points.Architecture
This section should provide examples of monumental architecture of the region. You can also look for examples of urban culture. There should be at least three pictures or diagram included in this section. Each should be explained (by you.)Observations about what we have learned.
This section should provide a paragraph length personal reflection about what you have learned about the culture and or the art of internet-based research.